According to the Department of Revenue, 668,000 Alaskans applied for the 2010 dividend, an increase of 1.65 percent over 2009 applications.

The first dividends will be paid on October 7, when more than 530,000 applicants will get a direct deposit into their bank accounts, and when about 85,000 will be mailed a check.

This is the first year paper checks will be mailed simultaneously with direct deposits. Actual delivery dates will vary by applicant location.

More than $700 million will be directly deposited into Alaskans' bank accounts, with a total distribution, including checks, of $821,880,510.31. Dividends not paid during the initial distribution will be paid monthly by check and direct deposit beginning October 28.

This is the first year the department will offer the 1099-MISC income statement electronically. About 320,000 Alaskans chose the e1099 this year. An explanation of how to obtain the e1099 will be emailed during the week of September 26.

This year's dividend is the 29th annual distribution under the program, for a total of $32,194.59 for Alaskans who have received all of them. That does not include the $1,200 Alaska Resource Rebate distributed in 2008 on top of the PFD. With the 2010 dividend payment, the total funds disbursed to Alaskans since inception of the dividend program, including the Resource Rebate, will be about $18.2 billion.